Stamp of Approval

Hot stamping and embossing provides the packaging market with winning visuals for a wide variety of products.

by Chris Bauer

SUPPLIERS OF STAMPING and embossing equipment report a steep rise in the demand for their products. As converters are called on to create eye-catching packaging for a variety of products, they often look to stamping and embossing to give a package the visual edge over its competition. Suppliers explain the results are easy to see.

"The evidence is in the grocery store," says Doug Herr, national sales manager for the Bobst Group. "Walking down the aisles today versus five years ago, you see many more packages with hot foil stamping—and not only promotional packages, but other items which consistently use hot foil stamping."

Suppliers have noticed more consumer markets are now using hot stamping on their products—anything from auto parts to fish food. It is now being used across the packaging world. "It's not just for the cosmetic and personal care markets anymore," advises Peter Kuschnitzky, general manager of I.Kela. "It's basically a cheap way to get a better look for your packages," And when foil use starts in a product market, it can become contagious.

"When one company markets their product with hot foil stamping, it seems like the competition will also move in that direction," Herr notes. To meet these new demands for stamping, Bobst released several versions of its Foilmaster product. Available in 30˝, 40˝, and 50˝ formats, sheetfed Foilmaster Autoplaten presses for hot stamping, embossing, and hologram applications feature consistent speeds, simplified changeovers, and controlled costs by maximizing foil usage.

John Edgar, vice president of sales and marketing for Brandtjen & Kluge, confirms foil usage is an important consideration for printers. Foil on jobs involving packaging tends to be a high proportion of the total cost, Edgar contends, so foil savings, particularly on long runs, can be significant.